BCCI's letter seeking India's participation in ATC reaches MEA

The Sports Ministry has forwarded the letter from the Board of Control for Cricket in India, asking for the Government's permission to play against Pakistan at Karachi in the Asian Test Championship (ATC) match in September, to the Ministry of External Affairs which will take a final decision on the issue.

Sports Minister Uma Bharti said on Friday that her ministry had received BCCI's letter dated July 26 and forwarded it to the MEA which will take a final decision in consultation with the Ministry of Home Affairs.

BCCI president AC Muthiah met Bharti on Friday to know the Government's response to the letter. Though Muthiah described the meeting as a 'courtesy call', he admitted that the ATC came up for discussion. "She (Bharti) told me that the matter was under consideration," Muthiah said after the meeting.

"The Government has already said that it would allow the team to play against Pakistan in multi-lateral tournaments but a final decision on ATC was still to be taken," he said, adding that he expected the decision by the third week of this month.

ATC involves Sri Lanka and Bangladesh besides India and Pakistan. Every match is played in either of the participating countries on a rotational basis. India and Pakistan had played in Kolkata in the inaugural event in 1999 and it is Pakistan's turn to host India this time.

To a suggestion whether India and Pakistan can play the ATC match in a neutral venue like Colombo, Muthiah said it would be unacceptable.

"If we don't play Pakistan in Karachi, the tournament will have to be called off. Pakistan wants us to play in their country. We also want Pakistan to come to India," he said.

Muthiah said India's performance in the recent triangular one-day series in Sri Lanka was 'disappointing' especially in the final match where they suffered a humiliating 121-run loss to the hosts. "It was disappointing. The defeat in the final was the eighth in a row. The team needs to break the jinx," he said.